Picture-ironing board combination

ABSTRACT

This invention relates to a foldable ironing board that is attached to a wall-mounted cabinet support means. The ironing board is pivotally supported on the cabinet support means for movement between an inoperative position and an operative position. When the ironing board is in its inoperative position, it is folded into the cabinet housing in a substantially vertical position. The underside of the ironing board is provided with a picture frame means which is detailed for holding decorative items thereon. The picture frame means is detailed to completely obscure the ironing board and support cabinet when the ironing board is moved to its inoperative position. In its operative position, the ironing board swings down from the support cabinet and folds out into a substantially horizontal position. Releaseable holding means in operatively associated with the ironing board and the support cabinet for holding the ironing board in the inoperative position.

United States Patent Finney [54] PICTURE-IRONING BOARD COMBINATION [72] Inventor: Charlie N. Iinney, 716 North Nonroe, Al-

bany, Ga. 31701 [22] Filed: May 18, 1970 [21] Appl. No.2 38,172

[ 51 Feb. 15, 1972 Primary ExaminerFrancis K. Zugel Assistant Examiner-Garry Moore Attorney-Newton, Hopkins & Ormsby [57] ABSTRACT This invention relates to a foldable ironing board that is attached to a wall-mounted cabinet support means. The ironing board is pivotally supported on the cabinet support means for movement between an inoperative position and an operative position. When the ironing board is in its inoperative position, it is folded into the cabinet housing in a substantially vertical position. The underside of the ironing board is provided with a picture frame means which is detailed for holding decorative items thereon. The picture frame means is detailed to completely obscure the ironing board and support cabinet when the ironing board is moved to its inoperative position. In its operative position, the ironing board swings down from the support cabinet and folds out into a substantially horizontal position. Releaseable holding means in operatively associated with the ironing board and the support cabinet for holding the ironing board in the inoperative position.

7 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures I'ICTURE-IRONING BOARD COMBINATION BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION In the past, ironing boards that were supported from a wall in some fashion were unsightly in appearance when placed in the inoperative position in maintaining and using an ironing board in a confined area, such as in motel rooms, mobile homes, or small apartments, the conventional ironing boards were bulky and utilized a large amount of space for storage.

Some attempts have been made to provide wall-supported ironing boards which could be moved to an inoperative position. However, these ironing boards were not foldable and they took up a large amount of wall space when not in use.

Most of the prior wall-supported ironing boards utilized complex releasable holding means to maintain the ironing boards in an inoperative position. The complex releasable holding means were uneconomical to manufacture and were unreliable in their operation.

Further, since the prior art wall-supported ironing boards were unsightly in appearance, they were usually placed in an area on the wall or in the room which rendered the ironing board inconvenient for use when moved to the operative position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is therefore a primary object of this invention to provide an ironing board which can be supported from a wall-mounted cabinet means and moved between inoperative positions and operative position.

A further object of this invention to provide a wall-supported foldable ironing board which utilizes a minimum amount of space when moved to the inoperative position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a wallsupported foldable ironing board which includes releaseable holding means for maintaining the foldable ironing board in an inoperative position. 7

A still further object of this invention to provide wall-supported foldable ironing boards which is provided with bracing means for supporting the ironing board in an operative position.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a wall-supported foldable ironing board having a decorative support means obscuring the visibility of the ironing board when maintained in its inoperative position.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a combination picture frame and ironing board that is detailed in size for use in confined areas.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a wallsupported ironing board which is simple in construction, economical to manufacture and reliable in operation.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a shallow well at the hinged end of the ironing board that will house a travel iron and other notions for ironing or mending.

Still other objects and advantages in the details of construction will become apparent after reading the accompanying description of the illustrated embodiment of the invention with reference to the attached drawings wherein like reference characters have been used to refer to like parts throughout the figures of drawings, and wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES OF DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the combination picture frame and ironing board when the ironing board is held in its inoperative position;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the ironing board supported in an operative position;

FIG. '3 is an enlarged perspective view similar to FIG. 2 showing the ironing board in an intermediate position between the inoperative and operative positions; and,

' FIG. 4 is a vertical section view taken substantially along the lines 4-4 of FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATIVE EMBODIMENT Referring now to the drawing, the combination picture frame and ironing board will be described with reference to a wall-mounted supporting cabinet means 10, a decorative frame means 20, and an ironing board 30.

As shown in FIGS. 2-4, the wall-mounted cabinet support means 10 provides an enclosure for the ironing board 30 when held in an inoperative position. The cabinet support means 10 includes a substantially rectangular back element 11 which is adapted to be supported from a wall by any conventional means (not shown). Connected to the back element 11 along its two opposite sides are substantially upright parallel sidewalls l2, 13. A top 14 is horizontally disposed along the top edge of the back element 11 and joins the sidewalls 12, 1.3 to form a substantially enclosed housing portion. The forward edges of the sidewalls l2, l3 and the top 14 of the support cabinet 10 are substantially coplanar. The depth of the support cabinet 10 is detailed to be sufficient to be completely encompass the ironing board 30 when maintained in its inoperative position. The above-described support cabinet could easily be provided in a recessed portion in a supporting wall.

The ironing board 30 is constructed to include an inner portion 18 and an outer portion 19. The ironing board inner portion is provided with a reinforcing strip 15 along one edge thereof. Hinge means 16, 17 is connected to the reinforcing strip 15 and to a lower edge portion of the support cabinet back element 11. The hinge means l6, 17 is detailed for pivotally supporting the ironing board for movement between its inoperative and operative positions. The dimensions of the reinforcing strip 15 is detailed such that the ironing board will be supported in correct alignment within the cabinet support housing when the ironing board is moved to the inoperative position. A recessed area 23 is provided on the ironing board inner portion adjacent the reinforcing strip 15 to house a traveling iron (not shown) and other items. The traveling iron can be secured in any convenient way so that it cannot be readily removed from the general vicinity of the ironing board, the recess area 23 forming a convenient storage area for a conventional iron, if desired. A pair of flexible chain means 24, 25 is provided for maintaining the ironing board in a substantially horizontal position when the ironing board is swung downward to an operative position. The flexible chain means 24, 25 are connected adjacent one end by conventional means (not shown) to the inner portion 18 of the ironing board at a positioned spaced outwardly from the hinge means 16, 17. The opposite ends of the flexible chains 24, 25 are connected by a conventional means (not shown) to support cabinet back element 11 at a positioned vertically spaced a substantial distance from the hinge means 16, 17.

The ironing board outer portion 19 is pivotally connected to an extended end of the ironing board inner portion by a pair of conventional hinge elements 21, as shown in FIG. 4. The hinge elements .21 support the ironing board outer portion 19 in detailed relationship relative to the ironing board inner portion 18 in such a manner that the ironing board outer portion can be folded from an operative position substantially coplanar with the ironing board inner portion 18 as shown in FIG. 2, to an inoperative position in substantially parallel alignment with the ironing board inner portion 18.

A bracing element 27 is operatively associated with the ironing board inner and outer portions for aiding in supporting the ironing board outer portion 19 in correct alignment when moved to the operative coplanar position. The bracing element 27 is slidably received within anopening 26 which is provided in the ironing board inner portion 18. The bracing element 27 is freely slidable in the opening 26 and includes a ring portion 28 provided for moving the bracing element from a retracted nonsupported position to an extended supporting position. The bracing element 27 is detailed for automatically moving to the retracted position in response to elevating the ironing board to the inoperative position. As shown in FIG. 3,

the ironing board outer portion l9 is provided with a notched area 29 which is detailed to receive the bracing element 27 when moved to an extended supporting position. The dimensions of the notch portion 29 and the brace element 27 are detailed such that the ironing board outer portion 19 will be supported in coplanar alignment with the ironing board inner portion," when the brace element is moved to an extended supporting position within the notched portion 29.

Referring now particularly to FIGS. 3, 4 a releaseable holdin] means is provided for holding the foldable ironing board in its inoperative position within said support cabinet 10. The rel'easeable holding means includes a pair of permanent magnet elements 32, 33 which are fixed to the cabinet'back element 1] by conventional means (not shown). The underside of the ironing board outer portion is provided with a pair of magnetic attraction elements 30', 31. The magnetic attraction elements 30'. 31 are detailed in location on the ironing board outer portion underside such-that they will be in correct alignment with the permanent magnets 32, 33, respectively when the; ironing board is moved to a folded inoperative position. The strengths of the permanent magnets 32, 33 is detailed for holding the ironing board and its inoperative position within the support cabinet 10, but will allow the ironing board to be released therefrom by applying a predetermined amount of pressure to an extended end of the ironing board.

As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 4, the underside of the ironing board inner portion is provided with a decorative frame support means 20. The decorative frame support means includes a pair of border supporting strips 34, 35, with one of the strips being located along each opposite side edge of the ironing board inner portion 18. A top border strip 36 is provided between the side border strips 34, 35 adjacent the extended end ofthe ironing board inner portion 18. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, a bottom border strip 37 is provided between the side border strips 34, 35 adjacent the hinged end of the ironing board inner portion 18.

Referring now particularly to FIG. 4, the border strips 34, 35 are detailed relative to the bottom surface of the ironing board inner portion 18 to provide a grooved supporting surface for maintaining a decorative item therein. As shown in FIG. 4, the top border strip means 36 is provided with a slot means 3' between an extended end of the ironing board inner portion l8 and the border strip means 36 to provide an opening for allowing a decorative item to be easily inserted and removed from the grooved retaining means 39.

OPERATION In using the above-described foldable ironing board, the ironing board and support cabinet 10 are placed in position on a supporting wall and attached thereto by a conventional means (not shown). It is apparent that the support cabinet 10 could be constructed within a recessed area of a supporting wall and become an integral part thereof.

To begin an operation of the ironing board a predetermined amount of pressure is applied to the upper extended end of the ironing board by grasping the top border strip element. 36 and pulling the border strip and ironing board outwardly to break the magnetic field between the magnets 32, 33 and the mag netic attraction elements 30', 31 respectfully after the magnetic field of the permanent magnets have been broken, the ironing board, including inner portion 18 and outer portion I, is moved downwardly to a substantially horizontal position until the flexible support chains 24, 25 reach the limit of their extended position. in this position, the ironing board is supported in a substantially horizontal position. The next step is to grasp the ring portion 28 of the bracing element 27 and pull the bracing element outwardly to the extending position. After the bracing element has been moved to an extending position. After the bracing element has been moved to an extending supporting position, the ironing board outer portion is not pivoted about the pivot support means 21 to move the ironing board outer portion 19 form its inoperative parallel alignment position to its operative coplanar position.

While using the ironing board inits operative position. the recessed area 23 will provide a supporting area for items that are normally used in an ironing operation such as an iron, a needle, thread and scissors. The borders around the recessed area 23 will aide in preventing the items supported thereon from becoming accidentally dislodged from the ironing board.

It is apparent that the above-described illustrated embodiment of the foldable ironing boardand support means is-capa- 'ble'of obtaining the above-stated objects and advantages. It is obvious that those skilled in the art may make modification in the details of construction without departing from the spirit of the invention which is to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In an improved support means for usein supporting a foldable ironing board in operative and inoperative positions, theimprovement comprising in combination; support means, an ironing board having an inner portion and an outer portion, means pivotally connecting one end of said ironing board inner portion to said support means for pivotal movement of said ironing board between said operative and inoperative positions, means-pivotally connecting said ironing board outer portion to the other end of said ironing board inner portion whereby said ironing board outer portion can be folded to a position substantially coplanar with said inner portion when in said operative position and to a position in substantially parallel alignment with said inner portion when in said inoperative position, and releasable holding means operatively associated with said support means and said ironing board for holding said ironing board in said inoperative position, said ironing board including a picture frame means attached to the underside of said board, said picture frame means detailed for supporting a decorative means thereon and detailed for completely obscuring the ironing board and support cabinet when said ironing board is moved to and held in said inoperative position, said picture frame means including grooved holding means detailed for releasably holding a decorative item therein whereby said decorative item can be selectively removed therefrom as desired.

2. An improved support means as in claim I wherein said means for holding said ironing board in inoperative position includes at least one permanent magnet.

3. A combination picture frame and ironing board comprising a wall-mounted cabinet support means, a foldable ironing board pivotally connected to said cabinet support means to allow said-ironing board to be supported in an inoperative position within said cabinet and to be swung downward to an operative position, and a picture frame attached to the underside of said ironing board, said picture frame being visible and completely obscuring said ironing board and cabinet, when the ironing board is in inoperative position, said ironing board including hingably connected inner and outer portions, with the outer portion being foldable from a substantially coplanar extending position when said ironing board is in said operative position and movable to a folded substantially parallel aligned position when said ironing board is moved to said inoperative position.

4. A combination picture frame and ironing board as described in claim 3, further characterized in that said ironing board includes releasable holding means operatively associated with said ironing board and with said support cabinet for holding said ironing board in said folded inoperative position.

5. A combination picture frame and ironing board as in claim 4, further characterized in that said ironing board includes flexible brace means operatively associated with said ironing board and with Said cabinet support means for maintaining said ironing board in said operative position in response to releasing of said releasable holding means.

6. A combination picture frame and ironing board means as in claim 4 wherein said releasable holding means includes at least one permanent magnet.

7. A combination picture frame and ironing board as in claim 3 wherein said inner portion includes a recessed portion adjacent one end for providing a supporting surface for objects used in ironing. 

1. In an improved support means for use in supporting a foldable ironing board in operative and inoperative positions, the improvement comprising in combination; support means, an ironing board having an inner portion and an outer portion, means pivotally connecting one end of said ironing board inner portion to said support means for pivotal movement of said ironing board between said operative and inoperative positions, means pivotally connecting said ironing board outer portion to the other end of said ironing board inner portion whereby said ironing board outer portion can be folded to a position substantially coplanar with said inner portion when in said operative position and to a position in substantially parallel alignment with said inner portion when in said inoperative position, and releasable holding means operatively associated with said support means and said ironing board for holding said ironing board in said inoperative position, said ironing board including a picture frame means attached to the underside of said board, said picture frame means detailed for supporting a decorative means thereon and detailed for completely obscuring the ironing board and support cabinet when said ironing board is moved to and held in said inoperative position, said picture frame means including grooved holding means detailed for releasably holding a decorative item therein whereby said decorative item can be selectively removed therefrom as desired.
 2. An improved support means as in claim 1 wherein said means for holding said ironing board in inoperative position includes at least one permanent magnEt.
 3. A combination picture frame and ironing board comprising a wall-mounted cabinet support means, a foldable ironing board pivotally connected to said cabinet support means to allow said ironing board to be supported in an inoperative position within said cabinet and to be swung downward to an operative position, and a picture frame attached to the underside of said ironing board, said picture frame being visible and completely obscuring said ironing board and cabinet, when the ironing board is in inoperative position, said ironing board including hingably connected inner and outer portions, with the outer portion being foldable from a substantially coplanar extending position when said ironing board is in said operative position and movable to a folded substantially parallel aligned position when said ironing board is moved to said inoperative position.
 4. A combination picture frame and ironing board as described in claim 3, further characterized in that said ironing board includes releasable holding means operatively associated with said ironing board and with said support cabinet for holding said ironing board in said folded inoperative position.
 5. A combination picture frame and ironing board as in claim 4, further characterized in that said ironing board includes flexible brace means operatively associated with said ironing board and with said cabinet support means for maintaining said ironing board in said operative position in response to releasing of said releasable holding means.
 6. A combination picture frame and ironing board means as in claim 4 wherein said releasable holding means includes at least one permanent magnet.
 7. A combination picture frame and ironing board as in claim 3 wherein said inner portion includes a recessed portion adjacent one end for providing a supporting surface for objects used in ironing. 